Double Bombing in Tal Afar Among Attacks That Killed 23 Iraqis

Dozens of people were killed or wounded in a complex attack in the northern
city of Tal Afar. At least 23 Iraqis were killed and 44 more were wounded
overall. Meanwhile, the P.K.K. kidnapped five of Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud
Barzani’s relatives.

A combined suicide
and car bomb attack at a crowded restaurant in Tal Afarleft
14 dead and 22 wounded. The suicide bomber struck after first responders
arrived to help those injured during the first explosion. Authorities believe
that insurgents on their way to Syria may have staged the attack. Although Tal
Afar had once been a hotbed of violence, it had been relatively stable in
recent months.

In Turkey, the Kurdistan Workers Party (P.K.K.)
reportedly kidnapped
five relatives, three women and two men, of Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud
Barzani. The kidnapping may have been in retaliation for cutting off their
trafficking routes between Turkey and Iraq. Declining any chance of
negotiations, the P.K.K. says it will force the group to serve in the militia.